Yahoo! Games

Player News

Brandon Dubinsky should be poised for a big year as the Blue Jackets look to contend in 2015-2016.

Dubinsky has always been a solid fantasy contributor but has become tagged as an injury-prone player. He appeared in just 47 games last season, scoring 13 goals and 36 points with a plus 11 rating and 43 penalty minutes. He is a rare player that can contribute in every fantasy category, similar to his teammate, Scott Hartnell. He carries a bit more risk than Hartnell due to his injury history but if he is able to play a full season, he could become a top 75 fantasy player overall and reward drafters with a big payout. The Blue Jackets have made some nice additions to their roster and Dubinsky will be healthy entering camp which means he will play an important role in leading the offense.

Trevor van Riemsdyk has been enjoying his offseason as a Stanley Cup Champion returning to New Jersey to celebrate.

Just 18 games into his NHL career, van Riemsdyk suffered a broken left patella after blocking a shot and was sidelined for five months. After returning from the leg injury in April, during his recovery process, the youngster later sustained a wrist injury in an AHL game and needed surgery sidelining him for the rest of the regular season and most of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He would later return for the last four games of the Stanley Cup Finals versus the Tampa Bay Lightning garnering him valuable experience. Now as the 2015-2016 season approaches, the Blackhawks could be relying a lot more on van Riemsdyk, who signed a two-year contract extension in early July. Look for him to blossom into well-versed player and mark him off as a deep sleeper in fantasy drafts this year.

Bernier will have an AAV of $4.15 million over the next two years. The two sides did go to arbitration with Bernier asking for $5.1 million dollars, while the Leafs were countering with $2.89 million. This appears to be a good deal for both sides, as Bernier will get paid and the Leafs have a two-year window to see if he can become a consistent number one goaltender.

The Minnesota Wild have signed Erik Haula to a new two-year contract worth $2 million.

The two sides had an arbitration hearing on Friday, but they were able to come to terms on an extension before the arbitrator's ruling was announced. Haula had seven goals and 14 points in 72 games last season.

New Jersey Devils General Manager Ray Shero said he expects to sign first round pick Pavel Zacha in the coming week.

"Now that everything has settled down a little bit, we'll reconnect with Patrik Stefan and give it a go to sign him," Shero said. "Hopefully, that's going to be the case. As I told (Zacha), that's our goal and it has been from the outset. I've said this before: there's no red flags We're going to get to it. So, we'll get this thing going next week and, hopefully, get him signed." The 18-year-old was selected by New Jersey with the sixth overall selection in last June's Entry Draft.

The camp started on Saturday in Calgary, but because Zacha and the Devils haven't reached an agreement on an Entry Level Contract yet, the player's agent doesn't want to take any chances. "He doesn't have a contract, so we don't want to risk him getting an injury," agent Patrik Stefan said. "I spoke to the coach and he understands. We're going to talk next week and, hopefully, we're going to get a deal done,"

St. Louis Blues chairman Tom Stillman admitted that it was hard to see the club part ways with both T.J. Oshie and Barret Jackman this off-season.

"Honestly, (the Oshie trade) and Barret Jackman’s departure are, on a personal level, difficult for me," Stillman said. "It is really a hard part of the business. I’m comfortable we’re doing the right thing for the team and all, but those two individuals in particular are really wonderful people. I am sad to see them go. It’s weird to see how the guys can just be uprooted, especially in a trade."

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill believes that his team is lucky to have two number one goaltenders on the roster.

Kari Lehtonen is back for the 2015-16 season, while the team went out and signed Antti Niemi this off-season. We just think having two elite goalies is going to make a big difference for us," said Nill. "We're lucky. It's manageable with our cap situation. We have the flexibility to do that and I really believe it's becoming a two-goalie league. It's hard for one goalie with all of this travel and back-to-backs. The league is so close. If you can win an extra two or three games because you have a rested, healthy, very competitive No. 1 goalie that you can put in any time is going to make a big difference."

The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of two NHL teams whose top five players will account for more than 50 percent of their salary cap space.

The other team is the Chicago Blackhawks. Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury will make $38 million in 2015-16, which is 53.2 percent of their cap. "You can have one philosophy or another on it, but I feel that sometimes your philosophy is adjusted to the players that you have," assistant general manager Jason Botterill said. "This is the situation we have here. We're very excited about the players we have. It's our job to make it work."

The Nashville Predators will look to complete contract extensions with both Filip Forsberg and Seth Jones in the near future.

Both players are key pieces of Nashville's team and they are scheduled to become Restricted Free-Agents after the 2015-16 season. "It's something that we'll probably engage, have some conversations as we get closer to training camp," General Manager David Poile said. "In my mind, I think the relationships are good with the players and the agents. When we (find) the opportune time to move forward with something, whether that's later in the summer or more probably during the season next year, we will try to (find) the correct time to do that."

The Nashville Predators know that they will eventually have to replace their two aging centers.

The Predators have Mike Ribeiro and Mike Fisher who are both 35-years-old. "We're realistic that we have two 35-year-old centers that we've eventually got to replace, whether that's in two years, three years," Predators general manager David Poile said. "I said to both of them, 'I hope you play a lot longer than that.' But you just never know when Father Time catches (up to you)." Both players were productive last season and the Predators will need them to keep producing if they want to make the playoffs again in 2015-16. Fisher finished with 19 goals and 39 points in just 59 games, while Ribeiro scored 15 goals and 62 points in 82 games.

Gallagher and Prust were teammates in Montreal for the last three years. Prust was traded to Vancouver earlier this summer for Zack Kassian. Gallagher is certain that the fans in Vancouver will appreciate Prust's style of play. "I think they’re going to respect the way he plays," Gallagher said of Prust. "He wants to compete. He’s hungry to win. He wants that opportunity. I think the fans are going to be impressed with what he’s able to do." If he can stay healthy, Prust will be a good source of penalty minutes in 2015-16.

Brendan Gallagher has been enjoying his time playing for Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien.

Gallagher has played all three seasons under Therrien and enjoyed his most successful season last year, scoring 24 goals and 47 points while playing in all 82 games. He also recorded career bests with a plus 18 rating and 254 shots on goal. Gallagher attributes a lot of his success to Therrien; "I think it’s been really good for me," Gallagher stated. "Coming up as a young guy, I think (Therrien) did it great with me and (Alex) Galchenyuk there to start. He made us earn every opportunity." Next season, Gallagher will look to build upon three solid years and be one of the team leaders in his age-23 year.

Cody Franson remains an unsigned free agent as all arbitration cases are now completed in the NHL.

It’s been one of the biggest surprises of the NHL free agency frenzy this season as Franson is one of the most underrated defensemen in the league. This past season he helped his teams increase their shot-attempts for and reduce shot-attempts against as well as improved his team’s goals-for and against. His on-ice impact has created a very bizarre situation for NHL owners as Franson could be seeking a deal worth roughly $5 million annually, which will be well deserved. It’s a matter of time before someone locks him up to a long term deal and he becomes a reliable fantasy defenseman for next season.

Jimmy Hayes is excited to be a part of the Boston Bruins and have a chance to play in his first Winter Classic in the upcoming 2015-2016 season.

After being traded by Florida to Boston on July 1st for Reilly Smith and Marc Savard’s contract, Hayes returns to his hometown Boston and will get a chance to play in his first Winter Classic on January 1, 2016 at Gillette Stadium. "Getting traded here, and then hearing about the Winter Classic, it's going to be a great moment for me," he said. Besides his excitement for the Winter Classic, fantasy gamers should keep an eye on Hayes as he could be a sleeper come next year’s draft. He was able to score 19 goals and chip in 16 assists in 72 games played with the Panthers last season and will now move to a more well-balanced Boston offense where he could get a chance to be a top-six forward.